I called my local herbacide supplier this morning and found that Sedgehammer costs $106 for 1.75 ounces. Ouch! They told me that most people around here use Basagran to control it at $26 for 8 ounces. Of course, it doesn't matter if it is cheaper if it doesn't work. Do any of you have any experience using Basagran to control sedge, especially in St. Augustine grass? I've linked to a website that I just discovered that does a nice job of comparing yellow and purple Nutsedge and the their recommended treatments. Based on the pictures there, I have Yellow Nutsedge, which is supposed to be treatable with Basagran. They also mention the primary ingredient of sedgehammer, called halosulfuron, as being effective on both yellow and purple Nutsedge. Here is a link that might be useful: Some good pictures and information about nutsedge and treatment options

If your going to use a herbiced I would spot spray only. (read the label carefully) Proper management practices that encourage a dense, thriving turf are the best method of weed control. Healthy turf shades the soil so sunlight can't reach weed seeds ready to germinate. A thick turf also minimizes the physical space available for weeds to become established. There are several management practices that will promote a healthy, dense grass. If turf is over-or under-watered, over-or under-fertilized, or mowed too low or too infrequently, the turf is weakened and cannot compete with weeds. Damaged areas resulting from using unsharpened mowers increase time needed for turf recovery, allowing for weed invasion. It is very important to understand that weeds don't create a void, they fill a void. Mulch Mow High 4+" with a sharp, balanced blade Water deeply and infrequently with 3/4-1" water. (no more than once a week in summer) What variety of grass do you have? When was the last time you fertilized?

bella rosa, Thanks again. This garden IS in the NW side. It is very much settled. All I have been doing for the past several years is cleaning up a few times a year and thinning out overgrown plants and getting rid of old, tired looking ones. Many sun loving plants along the fence have died or are struggling because my next door neighbor on the south has extended the house upward and backward as well as built a 6-ft. solid fence on the property line effectively cutting off sunlight to that side of my garden. I have planted more shade loving plants in their place. In 2014-2015, I splurged on Double Bloodroot. I can't wait to see how many will come up this spring. I have not done much winter sowing anymore, because I have no more room for new plants and I am traveling more and more in winter months. pugetsoundgardener, Today Eranthis and Snowdrops are blooming in my garden. In fact, Snowdrops started to show up in late January. Soon, miniature Iris and Schilla will show as well as early Narcissus. I am positive that in your climate you can achieve year-round blooming readily. From now on, something new will come up every few days and let the blooming season begin.

Hi busy b, I have a whole lawn of common bermudagrass (no choice, long story) and can give you all the horror stories. :) I'm finally resigning myself to the fact that a lawn in my part of North Carolina will never be like the Kentucky bluegrass that I grew up with or the tall fescue lawn we had in Pennsylvania. But I LOVE gardening in North Carolina. You're right in that simply pulling it will make a dent. You have to get every little piece with a node on it. The roots and stolons can be VERY deep in the soil. I've had to clear out beds and start over again killing bermudagrass when I've been too impatient to wait and see that it was all killed before I planted. It's impossible to disentangle it from perennial, shrub or tree roots. I created many of my beds by layering newspaper/cardboard over the grass for a few weeks to kill the grass, but bermudagrass will grow right up through it. I think you're on the right track by keeping it away from the borders. I try to leave a foot or so around each bed border without plantings so I have some leeway and a chance to get all the stolons out before it creeps into herbaceous plant roots. I have sandy soil, but in sturdier soil, you can dig a little trench around the bed border to separate lawn from the bed and it helps you to see what's happening with the invasive grass. If you're not adverse to using Roundup, it works well. I've had to resort to that in some places. Hope this helps! Pam